Automotive Engineer
Automotive Engineer Salary
$59.5K - $64K
21% of jobs
$64.7K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$64K - $68.5K
31% of jobs
$72.5K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$68.5K - $73K
27% of jobs
$73K - $77.5K
12% of jobs
$77.5K - $82K
0% of jobs
$82K - $86.5K
0% of jobs
$86.5K - $91K
0% of jobs
$91K - $95.5K
2% of jobs
$95.5K - $100K
3% of jobs
$100K - $104.5K
2% of jobs
$104.5K - $109K
3% of jobs
$59.5K
$68K
$106.5K
$72,419
/year
$34.82
/hour
Automotive Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$72,419
Columbus
Ohio
$69,950
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How much does an Automotive Engineer make?
As of Aug 16, 2026, the average annual pay for an Automotive Engineer in the United States is $72,419 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $34.82 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,392/week or $6,034/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $106,500 and as low as $59,500, the majority of Automotive Engineer salaries currently range between $64,500 (25th percentile) to $72,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $98,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Automotive Engineer varies little (about 7500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
An Automotive Engineer in your area makes on average $69,950 per year, or $2,469 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $72,419. Ohio ranks number 36 out of 50 states nationwide for Automotive Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Automotive Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Automotive Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Automotive Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Automotive Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Bumpass, VA, , with Ridgecrest, CA, and Glenwood Springs, CO, close behind in the second and third positions. Glenwood Springs, CO, beats the national average by $18,530 (25.6%), and Bumpass, VA, furthers that trend with another $24,516 (33.9%) above the $72,419 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Automotive Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 12% between Bumpass, VA, and Palo Alto, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for an Automotive Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Bumpass, VA | $96,935 | $46.60 |
Ridgecrest, CA | $91,879 | $44.17 |
Glenwood Springs, CO | $90,949 | $43.73 |
Corte Madera, CA | $89,964 | $43.25 |
Berkeley, CA | $88,673 | $42.63 |
San Carlos, CA | $87,445 | $42.04 |
Sitka, AK | $87,242 | $41.94 |
Bellerose, NY | $86,240 | $41.46 |
Mountain View, CA | $85,431 | $41.07 |
Palo Alto, CA | $85,345 | $41.03 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Automotive Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Automotive Engineer category.
For example System Engineer Manager jobs pay as much as $69,651 (96.2%) more than the average Automotive Engineer salary of $72,419. If you're qualified, finding work as an System Engineer Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Automotive Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
System Engineer Manager | $142,070 | $68.30 |
Senior Power Systems Engineer | $124,732 | $59.97 |
Staff Supplier Quality Engineer | $111,474 | $53.59 |
Technical Safety Engineer | $79,032 | $38.00 |
Mechanical Drafting | $56,049 | $26.95 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
